LOVE LINGERS

John W. Hedge

| March/April 1970

304 N. Glover Drive, Longview, Texas 75601.

Recently, I have been called upon to make my favorite speech on
the theme, 'The Age of Steam,' before the Gregg County
Historical Society of Longview, Texas, and the Rotary Club of
Glade-water, Texas. During this effort I presented a number of
items pertaining to the age of steam, from my collection, including
a small stationary steam engine, a whistle used in Civil War days
on a wood burning locomotive, a 'box whistle' which came
from France, one whistle used on engine No. 210 used in building
the Panama Canal, plus many other articles.

I gave the history of the use of steam as a power and related
some of my experiences with steam engines. The speech was received
with much enthusiasm and the cheering was prolonged. Many of the
people present in these meetings had heard the old wail of
locomotive whistles, but seemingly did not know that there was so
much interesting history in connection with the use of the steam
engines of yesteryear. To present and thus to preserve some of the
historical facts in the memories of men, of the use of steam, was a
genuine delight on my part.

With the coming of both electric and diesel power, the steam
engine was relegated to the background and many of the late
generation know but little or nothing about it. I could but wish
that a steam engine reunion could be held in every part of our
country by steam engine enthusiasts. Perhaps, I could but wish that
in every city and town at some central point a large steam boiler
with steam pressure of 175 PSI could be located to which would be
attached large locomotive and steamboat whistles and these blown at
certain intervals to keep alive 'The Age of Steam.' Such
would put to shame the old fog horns of the diesels and keep alive
the sweet appealing tones of the chime whistles of days gone
by.

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Maybe I am 'old timey' and doubtless 'besides'
myself but I love those old steam engines which, to me, were more
of things of life than any machine ever invented by man. The boiler
is the belly, the food was coal, wood and oil and water fed into it
the drivers were the legs, the cylinders the lungs, the stack and
whistle and bell were the tongue and the headlight and marker
lights were the eyes! As a boy, I loved this monster made of steel
as it rushed through our old farm by day and by night and that love
lingers still.